Streaming Showdown: Is YouTube TV Better Than Hulu + Live TV?
YouTube TV and Hulu Live have big channel counts, unlimited cloud DVR, and high customer satisfaction, but our TV experts pick YouTube TV. Find out why.
Is YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV better?
YouTube TV is better than Hulu + Live TV, but it’s close. Both providers have large channel counts and unlimited cloud DVR, but they also have higher pricing compared to other competing streaming services.
YouTube TV has beats Hulu Live in pricing, user experience, and features. And the providers essentially tie in customer satisfaction. With this in mind, we rate YouTube TV 4.3 out of 5 stars—good enough to get our Editor’s Choice award for best overall live TV streaming service. Hulu Live is close behind, rating 4.1.
Like we said, it’s close. However, only one provider can earn our Editor’s Choice rating: YouTube TV by a nose.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV pros and cons
YouTube TV
✓ 100+ channels
✓ Unlimited cloud DVR
✓ Excellent customer satisfaction
✗ Higher price
✗ Fewer RSNs
✗ No A&E, Lifetime, or VICE
Hulu + Live TV
✓ 95+ channels
✓ Unlimited cloud DVR
✓ Disney+ and ESPN bundle included
✗ Only 2 simultaneous streams
✗ No AMC, BBC America, or NBA TV
Jump to:
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV deals
As of this writing, new YouTube TV customers can get a 21-day free trial and $15 off the first three months (making your payment $57.99 monthly).
We don’t see any current Hulu + Live TV deals, but the service has a 7-day free trial.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV at a glance
The table above tells you, broadly, almost all you need to know about the services. YouTube TV is more affordable, has more channels, and offers a straightforward plan, but Hulu Live offers more choices at a higher price.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV plans and prices
YouTube TV plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Channels | Streams | Cloud DVR | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | $82.99/mo. | 100+ | 3 | Unlimited (9 mos.) | View plan |
If you’re looking for simplicity—one plan, one price, no fees—YouTube TV beats Hulu. But if you’d like a little more choice, Hulu also has no fees but offers four plans or bundles. That’s still simple, but now it involves more decision-making. And that’s just enough complication to hold them back in this contest.
Hulu + Live TV plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Channels | Streams | Cloud DVR | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV | $81.99/mo. | 95+ | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited | View plan |
| Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, ESPN+ with ads | $82.99/mo. | 95+ | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited | View plan |
| Hulu (With Ads) + Live TV, Disney+ (No Ads) and ESPN+ (With Ads) | $87.99/mo. | 95+ | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited | View plan |
| Hulu No Ads + Live TV | $95.99/mo. | 95+ | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited | View plan |
Hulu’s bundle options include extra content from Disney+ and ESPN+ and opportunities to avoid ads for a reasonable price. That said, YouTube TV can almost match Hulu Live’s value to the extent that YouTube TV also has affordable add-ons—it just can’t compete with Hulu’s built-in bundle discounts on Disney+ and ESPN+.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV fees and extra charges
YouTube TV fees and extra charges
YouTube TV has no fees or extra charges, while Hulu Live has only one optional fee.
Hulu + Live TV fees and extra charges
| Fees | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unlimited streams upgrade | $9.99/mo. |
If two simultaneous streams are too few for you, you can upgrade to unlimited streams for about $10 monthly. If you have a large household, that’s not too much to pay to avoid what-to-watch battles.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV channels
YouTube TV (100+) and Hulu Live (95+) have generous channel lineups—but YouTube TV has a clear advantage. Both services have most of Variety’s top 50 most-watched channels: YouTube TV has 42 of those, while Hulu Live has 39—peruse the list below to see what each service carries or lacks.
Variety’s top 50 most-watched channels of 2023
- NBC
- CBS
- ABC
- FOX
- Fox News
- ESPN
- Univision†
- MSNBC
- ION†
- HGTV
- TNT
- Hallmark Channel
- Telemundo
- TBS
- HISTORY*
- TLC
- INSP*†
- Discovery Channel
- USA Network
- Food Network
- MeTV*†
- CNN
- Bravo
- Investigation Discovery
- Grit*†
- TV Land
- Hallmark Movies and Mysteries
- The CW
- Lifetime*
- A&E*
- FX
- UniMás†
- AMC†
- WE TV†
- Paramount Network
- Game Show Network
- REELZ*†
- BET
- ESPN 2
- Oxygen
- FS1
- National Geographic
- Syfy
- MTV
- Freeform
- Bounce TV†
- Nick at Nite
- Comedy Central
- FETV (Family Entertainment TV)*†
- Travel Channel
* Not on YouTube TV
† Not on Hulu + Live TV
Going beyond the top 50 channels, documentary and reality TV lovers will miss A&E, Lifetime, and VICE on YouTube TV. Movie and TV series binge-watchers will lament Hulu Live’s lack of AMC, BBC America, and IFC.
What channels are missing from YouTube TV?
- A&E
- FETV
- Grit
- HISTORY
Data effective as of post date.
- INSP
- Lifetime
- MeTV
- MLB Network
- NHL Network
- REELZ
- VICE
Sports fans, depending on their favorite sportsballs, face a choice.
YouTube TV has NFL Sunday Ticket, but you don’t need YouTube TV to get the popular out-of-market football add-on. The service also carries NBA TV and NFL Network in the regular channel package, plus the NFL RedZone and FOX Soccer Plus add-ons. Football fans might want to go this route.
What channels are missing from Hulu Live?
- AMC
- BBC America
- Bounce TV
- FETV
- FOX Soccer Plus
- Grit
Data effective as of post date.
- IFC
- ION
- INSP
- MeTV
- NBA TV
- NHL Network
- REELZ
- UniMás
- Univision
- WE TV
Only Hulu has ESPN+ in an affordable bundle, supplementing ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, and ESPNU (which YouTube TV also carries) with on-demand content, exclusive live UFC events, and out-of-market NHL games. So fans who love all sportsballs would be happier with Hulu.
We give YouTube TV the overall edge in this category since it has more channels, including more popular channels, and better sports add-ons (talkin’ NFL Sunday Ticket vs. ESPN+) than Hulu.
Channel comparison
If you’d like to compare these providers’ channel lineups further and learn about finer details like the regional sports networks (RSNs) each service carries, we can point you in the right direction.
You’ll find the YouTube TV channel lineup in our main YouTube TV review—and here is the Hulu + Live TV channel lineup.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV specs and features
Aside from channel lineups, the two key features of live TV streaming services are simultaneous streams and cloud DVR storage. For YouTube TV and Hulu Live, it’s pretty simple. YouTube TV gives you three streams, the standard allotment among live TV streaming services (and on-demand streaming services). Hulu Live includes only two streams, but you can upgrade to unlimited streams for $10 a month.
YouTube TV features
| Package | Price | Streams | Cloud DVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | $82.99/mo. | 3 | Unlimited (9 mos.) |
YouTube TV and Hulu Live offer the same unlimited cloud DVR storage and nine-month keep time. So, regarding features, it comes down to streams.
Hulu + Live TV features
| Package | Price | Streams | Cloud DVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV | $81.99/mo. | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited (9 mos.) |
| Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, ESPN+ with ads | $82.99/mo. | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited (9 mos.) |
| Hulu (With Ads) + Live TV, Disney+ (No Ads) and ESPN+ (With Ads) | $87.99/mo. | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited (9 mos.) |
| Hulu No Ads + Live TV | $95.99/mo. | 2 (Unlimited upgrade $9.99/mo.) | Unlimited (9 mos.) |
YouTube TV comes out on top here for including the industry standard stream allotment. Sure, standard is nothing special, but it looks generous compared to Hulu’s substandard allotment (and ostensible cash grab with the upgrade).
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV channel guide
YouTube TV channel guide
The YouTube TV and Hulu live TV programming guides don’t differ much. Each provides the basic information: title, start/end times, duration, time remaining, and episode title.
Hulu + Live TV channel guide
Hulu Live’s guide also includes extra sort options for more personalized viewing, so it’s gonna take this category.
Is YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV more worth it?
YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, are premium live TV streaming services, but we like for simplicity, pricing, channel count, features, and add-ons.
If you’re not into YouTube TV, /go/hulu/residential/streaming/disney-espn-bundle isn’t a bad alternative. But if you go for Hulu Live, get the Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV bundle for $95.99 monthly so you’ll have the live channels, Hulu’s wealth of on-demand movies and shows, Disney+, and ESPN+.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV FAQ
Which is better, Hulu Live or YouTube TV?
We’ve named YouTube TV our Editor’s Choice for the best live TV streaming service for three years running. It beats Hulu + Live TV on price, channels, simplicity, features and more.
What is the best streaming TV service?
The best live TV streaming service is YouTube TV, followed closely by Hulu + Live TV. We’ve given YouTube TV our Editor’s Choice award three years in a row. YouTube TV is simple—one plan, one price (for only $82.99/mo.), and no hidden fees. It also has 100+ channels, including 42 of the top 50 most-watched networks, and unlimited cloud DVR.
Is Paramount+ included with YouTube TV?
Unfortunately, YouTube TV does not include Paramount+—but you can add Paramount+ with SHOWTIME to YouTube TV for an additional monthly.
Randy Harward is a Senior Staff Writer at CableTV.com and the site’s resident horror expert. With over 25 years of experience covering music, film, and television, Randy’s work has been featured in a broad range of publications. He has held key editorial roles, including Music Editor at Salt Lake City Weekly, Senior Editor at Blurt, and Associate Editor at HARP magazine. His writing has also appeared in over 20 outlets, such as Guitar World, Salt Lake Magazine, CMJ New Music Monthly, Rockpile, and Mean Street. At CableTV.com, Randy focuses on TV services—both streaming and traditional—and scary movies.
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